Kaiser departing Education Foundation

Cindy Kaiser, executive director of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County since 2007, is leaving the organization to handle long-term family health issues, the foundation announced Friday.

Carlotta Cooley was appointed interim executive director this week to head the organization during its transition. A well-known area educator and past member of the foundation’s board of directors, Cooley starts Oct. 31.

Board chairman Mike Bryant, said, “Cindy has served the Education Foundation well these past four years. We are proud of her leadership and accomplishments during a particularly challenging economic period.”

Bryant said that the search for Kaiser’s replacement is under way; current and past members of the Education Foundation board lead it.

Cooley retired from Sarasota County Schools in 2003 after more than 30 years in public education. She worked as a professor in educational leadership at Argosy University until August 2011. An Education Foundation board member from 2003 to 2009, she has remained active with the group as a volunteer, donor and advisor.

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County was founded in 1988 as an independent, not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the Sarasota County Schools and the community. It awards more than $1 million each year to initiatives that broaden the school district’s programs. Among those efforts are scholarships and mentorships, the Texcellence Home Computer Donation Program, Teacher of the Year, Academic Olympics and the Regional Science, Engineering and Technology Fair. For more information visit EdFoundation.net or call 927-0965.